Enhancing Africa's renewal through internationalisation of higher education: a review of management strategies and issues

A paper on how of internationalization of higher education can help in Africa's development process.Internationalisation of higher education is a world-wide phenomenon and a contemporary process that aims to contribute to human, social, cultural and economic development of communities and nations. Seen in this light, international education is full of opportunities and potential benefits for individuals, higher education institutions and society’ at large. The past 25 years have seen the international dimension of higher education becoming more central on the agenda of international organisations and national governments, institutions of higher education, student organisations and accreditation agencies thus internationalisation has moved from being a reactive to a proactive strategic issue. The aim of this paper is to explore the role of international higher education as a vehicle for Africa's current development trajectory’. The article analyses the historical development of internationalisation, definitions, rationales and organisational strategies that can be employed by different nations to integrate internationalisation in the higher education systems of the African continent. The paper also examines benefits, challenges and risks of internationalisation to higher education in Africa. In conclusion, the author asserts that countries in Africa and the rest of the world should approach internationalisation in ways that are consistent with their current needs, priorities and circumstances

Attitudes towards the Use of Indigenous African Languages as Languages of Instruction in Education: A Case of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a multilingual nation with 16 officially recognised languages in the country’s constitution. The colonial dependency syndrome in Zimbabwe manifests itself in the continued use of a foreign language, English in all official business at the expense of indigenous languages spoken by over 90% of the population. The country therefore becomes a fertile ground for studies on language attitudes. It is against this background that the study sought to examine the attitudes of Zimbabweans towards the use of indigenous African languages as languages of instruction in schools, colleges and universities. A total of 1000 participants took part in the study comprising 200 teachers, 300 parents/guardians and 800 learners. Questionnaires, observations, document analysis and interviews were the main techniques used to collect data and the processing of the collected data was both qualitative and quantitative. The study revealed that English continues to be the prestige-laden language enjoying high while indigenous languages enjoy relatively low status. Study findings clearly show that the majority of the participants prefer English to be the medium of instruction in primary, secondary and tertiary education because it is a language that gives power and prestige. In conclusion, the author recommends a linguistic revolution and calls for a change in education policies so as to avoid the exclusion of the majority from public discourse, development and other issues of national significance. Key terms: mother tongue; language attitude; official language; language policy; medium of instructio

Antibacterial activity of chrysophanol isolated from Aloe excelsa (Berger)

Extraction of the yellow colour compounds of leaves of Aloe excelsa were performed and 1,8-dihydroxy-3-methylanthracenedione (chrysophanol) was isolated and tested for antibacterial activities against four gram negative and five gram positive bacterial strains. The structures of chrysophanol was determined by chemical spectroscop

Causal Factors Influencing Girl Child School Drop Out: A Case Study of Masvingo District Secondary Schools

School drop out among girls is a global phenomenon. Girl child dropout is a serious problem that affects national development. This study sorts to investigate factors that affect girl children’s school dropout in Masvingo district. Failure to finish school undermines girls’ development resulting in them having a misty future. The study employed the qualitative case study strategy to probe deeply into factors that contribute to girl child school dropout. The participants were purposively selected in order to allow them to provide the information needed to understand the cases of girl child dropout. The study employed questionnaires and interviews to solicit data. The study has revealed that there are a number of factors associated with this phenomenon. Secondary school comes at a particularly vulnerable age for girls as they enter into puberty. The main challenges the study found include poverty, cultural preference in educating boys, teen pregnancy and early marriages. Keywords: drop out, dropping out, adolescent, enrolment, chil

Traditional use, antibacterial activity and antifungal activity of crude extract of Aloe excelsa

The fleshy leaves and roots of most species within the Aloe family are used in many traditional treatments (Mabberley, 1987). Traditional healers and indigenous people utilize mainly the leaf sap of this genus widely for the treatment of wounds, burns, rashes, itches, cracked lips and cracked skin(Cera et al., 1980). Antimicrobial activities on the crude extract of Aloe exclesa was carried out in attempts to validate the use by traditional healers in the use of there latex and gel exudates for various medicinal ailments

ISSUES OF QUALITY IN TEACHING PRACTICE SUPERVISION AMONG OPEN DISTANCE STUDENTS: STUDENT AND LECTURER INPUT

While Teaching Practice (TP) students are expected to carry out teaching duties as guided by their training institutions and instructions from the school managers, there is need that all stakeholders get involved to improve the quality of the practicum. As such, the purpose of TP supervision is meant to achieve the set of objectives of training and building up a teacher to the level of acceptable standard. This study was conducted with the open distance students who were following up a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education at Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU). The study employed focus group method with participants and a few open ended questionnaires were administered. In the study, it was established that TP supervision was regarded as effective in some ways such as being timeous but not productive in giving students room to air their opinions as discussions were dictatorial and hurriedly done. The study suggests, among other things, a relook by the University on the minimum numbers of students each TP supervisor should supervise on a given day, especially in remote areas where schools are far apart.  Article visualizations

Antibacterial activity of aloe emodin and aloin A isolated from Aloe excelsa

Different extracts of leaves of Aloe excelsa were prepared and two compounds; 1,8-dihydroxy-3-hydromethyl-9,10-antracenedione and 10-C-b-D-glucopyranosyl-1,8-dihydroxymethyl-9-anthracenone, were isolated and tested for antibacterial activities against four Gram negative and five Gram positive bacterial strains. The structures of the two compounds were determined by chemical spectroscop

Quality Assurance Effectiveness: Perceptions of Lecturers on the Quality Assurance Mechanisms Employed in the BECD Programme at Zimbabwe Open University

In Open and Distance Education there is great desire to provide quality of the whole educational context and quality of individual educational programmes. In an effort to offer responsive market driven programmes, Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) continuously introduces new educational curricula and the Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Development (BEDC) is one such programme which was introduced in September 2010.While it  is in its initial cycle there seem to be some problems ,such as the untimely provision of resources, which can easily compromise on the quality of the programme and its products. A case study which was qualitative in nature was conducted to determine lecturers’ opinions on the effectiveness of quality assurance mechanisms that are being used to quality assure the BECD programme in terms of its fitness, relevance and efficiency or effectiveness. Open-ended questionnaire and focus group discussions were the instruments by which research data were gathered. Participants were of the mind that some appropriate methods and processes were being used and followed in an effort to quality assure the BECD programme. The accreditation of the BECD programme prior its installation, conducting of researches on the  lecturer and student perceptions  on  all  aspects of the implementation of the BECD programme, assessment of students each semester and continuous auditing of the BECD programme through institutional reports were some of the mechanisms the participants opined as being used  to quality assure the BECD programme. Nonetheless some loopholes in the QA processes were opined by the participants. Among these were untimely provision of curriculum materials, failure to act on research recommendations/findings by the institution, and the tendency to hide weaknesses in institutional reporting. The researchers recommend practical use of research findings and honest reporting about implementation of BECD and timely provision of BECD curriculum materials.   Keywords: BECD programme      quality assurance      mechanis

Variation in the essential oil constituents of Pteronia incana (Asteraceae)

The essential oil of Pteronia incana was collected and was investigated on a monthly basis using GCMS. The oil volume and its constituents vary greatly with different time of sampling and distillation. The oil contains a high percentage of myrcene a-pinene, b-pinene with sabinene, a-terpinene, 1.8 cineole and limonene

Child sexual abuse by teachers in secondary schools in the Masvingo District, Zimbabwe : perceptions of selected stakeholders

Child sexual abuse is a widespread problem in schools globally. Learners are at risk of sexual abuse by teachers. This study set out to explore the perceptions of learners, teachers and educational psychologists on child sexual abuse by teachers in schools. Literature relating to child sexual abuse was reviewed with the aim of obtaining a solid theoretical foundation for the study. The study is informed by the systems theory. In an attempt to provide acceptable answers to the research problem the qualitative phenomenological design was employed and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Purposive sampling was used to select schools and participants in the Masvingo district in Zimbabwe. The schools selected are one rural day, one rural boarding, one urban day and one urban boarding. A total of 8 learners, 2 from each school, 8 teachers, 2 from each school and 3 educational psychologists from the district offices were selected bringing to a total of 19 participants. Accepted ethical measures were adhered to during the study. Tesch’s open coding method of data analysis was used to identify themes and categories. The study indicated that child sexual abuse in schools is rampant and that teachers are among the perpetrators of this abuse. Child sexual abuse in schools is defined by the study as the unwelcome contact or non-contact sexual behaviour by a teacher on a learner. Findings from the study reveal that girls are more vulnerable to sexual abuse than boys and male teachers sexually abuse learners more than female teachers do. There are physical, behavioural, emotional and educational indicators of child sexual abuse. According to the results of the study multiple factors cause teachers to sexually abuse learners. Some of these factors include abuse of power by teachers, poverty of learners, lust on the part of the teacher, and disregard of law by teachers. Students were said to sometimes be contributors to their own sexual abuse through their seductive behaviours and dressing. It emerged from the study that child sexual abuse by teachers has a host of negative physical, emotional, psychological and educational repercussions on the sexually abused learner. It results in serious health effects such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), unwanted pregnancy and psychological trauma. Poor academic performance and failure to complete education are consequences of sexual abuse. Findings from the study revealed that child sexual abuse by teachers in schools should not be tolerated and thus it should be prevented. In light of these findings recommendations are made with regards to how various stakeholders in the school namely the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Zimbabwe, policy makers, school heads, teachers, parents and learners can help fight this scourge. Areas for further research are proposed.Psychology of EducationD. Ed. (Psychology of Education